At the heart of the team

Thanks to Tim O’Brien for writing this story. And thanks to Virginia Donvito MacPhee (a Colonie Central classmate) for raising such a beautiful daughter.

Shaker High School freshman Gianna MacPhee, center, in the blue warmup jacket, is surrounded by teammates at halftime Thursday as they rev up to play the second half of their game against Shenendehowa in Latham. (Philip Kamrass / Times Union ) Click image for a photo gallery.

Colonie — Shaker High School’s freshman girls’ soccer team says it has 11 players, 22 feet and one heartbeat.

Gianna MacPhee isn’t the best player, or the fastest on her feet, but she clearly illustrates the team’s big heart.

Gianna has Down syndrome, and her decision to try out for the team came as a shock to her parents. She’d signed up as an eighth-grader after gym one day, and her parents found out when someone else told them.

“We were at a travel tournament when one of our younger daughters’ soccer coaches said, ‘I see Gianna signed up for freshman soccer,’ ” her mother, Virginia MacPhee, said. “Our daughter knows what she wants and goes after it, which is something we always wanted.”

Gianna had played recreational soccer before but never competitively.

From the moment Gianna tried out, coach Michael Brehm let her know she would be expected to do the work. Sometimes the team would practice at 6:30 a.m., sometimes they’d get together at 7 p.m. She would be expected to be on time and ready to play like any other player.

“I told her this is going to be very hard to make a high school team,” he said. “I treat her like any other person. She is an athlete. She’s fun. She works hard. It was a perfect fit for her and the team.”

Somewhere between 30 and 35 students tried out for the freshman team, and Brehm had to narrow the players to 15. Gianna made the final cut. Brehm makes accommodations for her, letting her run a mile and not three. She helps him during practices, before and during the game.

But unlike other disabled athletes who serve in similar team manager roles, Gianna also gets to play in some of the games.

In her very first outing, Brehm said, Gianna played as a striker. When the ball came her way, she stopped it and kicked it to midfielder Sarah Cheney.

“She actually passed, and I had the best shot of my life,” Cheney said. The ball sailed into the goal.

“She had an assist on one of the first passes she ever made,” Brehm said. “She definitely is very charismatic. The kids love her.”

The players are unanimous in saying Gianna is an important part of the team.

“We have more fun when she’s around,” said Julia Maloney. “She makes the coach a lot nicer.”

“I think it brings our team closer,” added Eva Torncello. “She’s always here, and she works just as hard as we do.”

“When she goes into the game, you just see her smile,” she said. “To see her smile is just a really great feeling for us.”

Carlie Maxwell calls Gianna a positive influence, and McKenzie Riccio said she thinks the team has had a similar effect on Gianna.

“We’re all about the one heartbeat, and we are a family,” player Justine Deyo said. “Gianna has brought us that much closer. We love her so much. We see her in the hall, and we’re all close friends.”

As player after player described how much Gianna means to the team, the girl begins to cry and hugs her best friend and teammate, Meghan Kelly, tight.

The two met when Meghan played on a team with Gianna’s younger sisters.

“I was so excited when she tried out,” she said.

Her parents say the support of the team has made the transition to high school so much easier for Gianna.

“To be with girls her age, doing something a typical child will do means everything,” Gianna’s father, Roland MacPhee, said. “It’s not just soccer. It’s everything. It’s the whole team. The girls include her in everything off the field.”

The team went into Thursday’s game with archrivals Shenendehowa with a perfect 13-0 record. They lost their final game 1-0.

As Gianna watched the earlier part of the game, she said she likes being part of the team and seeing her family at her games.

“It’s fun,” she said. “I get to see my cousins and friends.”

Brehm said Gianna is an important part of the team’s success.

“She’s great. She’s just fun to have around,” the coach said. “She’s part of this team, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Shaker High School freshman Gianna MacPhee, right, and teammate Meghan Kelly, try to stay warm Thursday in Latham during their 1-0 loss to Shenendehowa, which ended their undefeated season. ( Philip Kamrass / Times Union ) Click the photo to see a photo gallery.

Staff writer Tim O’Brien can be reached at 454-5092 or by e-mail at tobrien@timesunion.com.

Kudos to the Shaker HS soccer Coach and team, The MacPhee family and to Gianna Macphee. You are someone that all soccer players and parents can look up to. I have coached several teams over the past 16 years and I have NEVER encountered a player with more heart and guts than Gianna, You are indeed a very special girl and I’m sure your family and friends are so proud of you. You not only get my vote for player of week award but the player of the year award. God bless you.